Relationships between Fourth Graders' Performances on Selected Role-taking Tasks and Referential Communication Accuracy Tasks

Abstract

PICHE, GENE L.; MICHLIN, MICHAEL L.; RUBIN, DONALD L.; and JOHNSON, FERN L. Relationships between Fourth Graders' Performances on Selected Role-taking Tasks and Referential Communication Accuracy Tasks. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1975, 46, 965-969. 20 fourth-grade children were each administered 3 role-taking tasks (Milgram Word Association Test, Feffer Role-taking Task, and Chandler Role-taking Task) and 3 referential communication accuracy tasks (Krauss and Glucksberg Blocks Task, Baldwin and Garvey Picture Identification Task, and Crystal Climbers Task). Results of the Krauss and Glucksberg Blocks Task indicate a ceiling effect for the version employed. Of the remaining 5 measures, only the Chandlei Role-taking and the Baldwin and Garvey Picture Identification Task correlate significantly. Submission of the 5 variables to factor analysis resulted in a visual-recoding factor and a social role-taking factor. The study contradicts previous assumptions of a close relationship between role taking and referential communication accuracy and supports the view that both main variables entail several subskills which may develop differentially.